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Resurgam

abr0087

by Alias

In August of 2007, after 8 years of innovating in Oakland, Alias went home. To snow and real seasons, to fresh air and familiarity. To Portland, Maine, a city which, despite plenty of inclement weather, has burned almost to the ground four times--whose Latin motto translates in no uncertain terms to "I will rise again." Thus, that motto, "Resurgam," became a doubly fitting title for Alias' first solo instrumental album in five years, one which finds the accomplished electro/acoustic musician and beat-smith returning to a proven foundation, while building all else anew.

Perhaps owing to his recent experience crafting collaborative LPs (in 2006 with electro-pop chanteuse Tarsier; in 2005 with his multi-instrumentalist brother Ehren), this is Alias' most melodic work yet. Second song "I Heart Drum Machines" opens with falling rain as strains of some lost symphony blow in, then unfurl grandly in a hail of chopped drums and xylophone. Later, "Death Watch" conceives a beat of cut-up strumming before Alias' sheets of electric guitar create an aqueous reverberation akin to a waterfall being strung and played. Static, keys, and his own oohâs combine to create loads of mellifluous depth. There are also three one-minute-plus explorations into the purely ambient--new territory for Alias--that play more as miniature opuses than interludes.

But Resurgam is also an album of heavy, intricate rhythms, as evidenced by introductory banger "New To A Few," and "M.G. Jack," which begins with the cool asceticism of Boards Of Canada, but peaks with an Avalanches-like exuberance, interweaving patterns of distorted beat-boxing, live percussion, Casio-styled effects, and burbling synth. For all of its melodic breadth, Resurgam is imbued with a hip-hop bent that has Alias exploring complex beat-fuckery a la Prefuse 73 even as he's howling notes like Tunde Adibempe ("Resurgam"), or dicing a Re-Up Gang sample to sprinkle over pensive piano ("Autumnal Ego").

Resurgam is also notable for its two collaborative tracks. The first, "Well Water Black" features the falsettos croons and low-toned poems of WHY?'s Yoni Wolf--a perfect bit of upbeat downer music that somehow unites The Cure and Burial before crashing into a propulsive, programmed drum solo from Alias. And toward the album's end, the One AM Radio guests on "The Weathering," which paints a wistful dream-scene via icy lyrics and frost-melting fuzz. Though Resurgam was recorded at home, in a six-month burst straddling a blustery winter, its songs feel worldly, considered, and warm, like gentle hands pushing the listener ever onward. By the time we reach Alias' final wordless statement--titled "Oakland In The Rearview"--it's easy to believe that we too have arrived at more comforting climes.

* free immediate download of mp3 files with vinyl purchase of this product